Franco focused her efforts on being in the Army Music Program because of her background in music. She went through the audition process and was selected, however, the ship date for Basic Combat Training would have been months away.

“I didn’t want to put my Family in a position where they had to face the consequences for my actions,” she said. “I knew that my religion wouldn’t support my choice, because they are conscientious objectors, and I didn’t know how my Family would feel about it.”

The recruiter offered chemical operations, and Franco shipped three days later.

“I knew that once I made that choice I could never go back,” she said. “It was one of the most stressful conversations I had to have with my Family.”

Franco added that her Family has been “extremely supportive” of her career in the Army.

Once Franco was finally in uniform, those around her noticed there was something different about the quiet Soldier from Pennsylvania. While she would tell her story to a select few, it wasn’t something she shared openly.

“It’s not because I was ashamed of anything, it was just how we were raised,” Franco said. “I’m a private person.”

Even during a stint as a drill sergeant here from 2000 to 2004, she hid behind the hat.

“I literally had to treat that job like I was an actress,” she said. “Whenever I put that hat on, I had to change my persona, because it was not who I was. (I’m not) the yeller, the authoritarian, and I don’t have the meaner demeanor. I really struggled with that job.”

Although she struggled, Franco said being a drill sergeant was “the most rewarding position” she has ever had.

“Being able to see the transformation those Initial Entry Soldiers were making — adjusting to their new way of living — truly made it worth it to me in the end,” Franco said. “I realized that so many others were turning to the Army for a better or different life, just like I was.”

Now she uses her story to help motivate the Soldiers in her battalion.

“I tell my story to encourage people to pursue their dreams, and tell them that nothing is absolutely impossible,” she said.

Franco credits her battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bryon Galbraith, for helping her feel comfortable with not only sharing her story, but sharing who she is.

“I got lucky enough to be paired up with a commander who is a servant leader and has the same values I do,” she said.

Galbraith calls Franco “the ideal servant leader because she is focused on serving the Soldiers in the battalion.”

“It’s because I understand the hardships,” Franco said. “I’m in a position where I can effect change for the better because I relate to what they are going through, and I remember how I felt when I was enduring that hardship.”

In her 25 years in uniform, Franco said she has “truly enjoyed the adventures” of her journey, and she is proud of the choices she has made to get to this point in life.

“The fact that I could never go back gave me the drive to be successful at this decision that I made,” Franco said. “If I wouldn’t have been successful and not tried my hardest to make this work, then what would have happened to me?”